The increase of impacts on water resources has raised questions on what consumers and businesses can do to reduce their water footprint.
Several instruments have been proposed as guidelines for the price of water, an international trade agreement on water footprint accounting, mechanisms similar to the Kyoto Protocol.
From these, the concept of "water compensation" was created. It is very similar to how carbon offsets are treated. It is important to understand how humans can neutralize or offset their water consumption.
Drop of Water
GSS, aligned with its mission and vision, developed a unique and innovative product for its customers. The Drop of Water is an indication of the consumption and use of water by an enterprise or product that can be achieved and validated by a third party.
The Drop of Water presents the amount of water that is actually required to produce a given product. It contains information based on the concept of Virtual Water - water volume needed to produce a good or service.
The quantification of water use is usually based on water consumption by sector, whether domestic, agricultural or industrial; guiding the strategies in connection to production and water supply. The Drop of Water is a new way to quantify this use with the aim to obtain an indicator of water use related to consumption. In addition, the waste and pollution of water resources are also considered.
Thus, the water footprint of an individual or an industry is defined as the total volume of water that is used to produce a good and/or a service.
Virtual Water
The virtual water content in a product or a service represents the volume of water used to produce the product or service. It takes into account geographical characteristics and refers to the sum of water used at the various stages of the life cycle of the product. The virtual water contained in a product is also understood as the volume of water required to produce the product locally.
The quantification of virtual water content is particularly important if we take into account trade of goods and services between countries. In physical terms, it is difficult to evaluate the transfer of water, but in terms of virtual water, this transaction of goods and services is highly relevant.
